Chapter 147: Giving Birth

They set off from Yushu Village shortly after seven in the morning, and they arrived in Qishi before eleven.

Lu Xiaotang first helped Xu Ning complete the admission procedures. The ward had four beds, and two pregnant women were already in the room.

He assisted Xu Ning in sitting on a bench, spread the sheets he had brought from home on one of the beds, and let her lie down to rest. He then took out a thin blanket from the bundle to cover her.

Xiao Li had gone to the cafeteria to fill a water bottle and hadn’t returned yet.

Lu Xiaotang asked, “Are you hungry? I can get you some snacks first, and later I’ll go to the cafeteria to buy you lunch.”

Xu Ning smiled and replied, “I don’t feel like eating right now. You and Xiao Li should go eat first; he needs to head back in the afternoon.”

After Lu Xiaotang and Xiao Li went out for lunch, one of the pregnant women in the opposite bed asked, “Your belly is so big; you must be carrying twins, right?”

Xu Ning nodded with a smile, feeling a bit carsick and not really wanting to talk much.

The woman in the opposite bed seemed a bit oblivious to Xu Ning’s discomfort and continued asking, “Where did you come from? I heard you talking earlier, and it sounded like you traveled quite a distance.”

Xu Ning didn’t respond; she closed her eyes and pretended to be asleep.

Seeing her lying there, the pregnant woman figured she must be tired and didn’t press further.

Lu Xiaotang took Xiao Li to a state-run restaurant for lunch. After eating, he handed Xiao Li some money and tickets, saying, “You can use this for gas on your way back. Brother, thank you for today!”

Xiao Li quickly declined, saying, “Brother, I can’t take this money. When I came, Minister Zhou specifically told me to ensure you both arrived safely in Qishi and that I shouldn’t accept any payment.”

Lu Xiaotang chuckled and replied, “Your Minister Zhou has already done me a huge favor today; I can’t let him pay for my expenses too! Just take it. If he asks, tell him I insisted you take it.”

After sending Xiao Li off, Lu Xiaotang hurried back to the ward with some food he had bought for Xu Ning.

Seeing her asleep in bed, Lu Xiaotang placed the food on the cabinet and tidied up the things he had brought.

The woman in the opposite bed wanted to strike up a conversation but, noticing Lu Xiaotang’s stern face, she hesitated to speak.

Her husband shot her a glare and whispered, “Why are you prying into other people’s business? Just go to sleep!”

Xu Ning woke up to find it already past three in the afternoon. With so many people in the room, she couldn’t take anything out from the storage space, so Lu Xiaotang quickly ran to the cafeteria to buy her lunch.

Just then, Doctor Huang arrived to check on her. He smiled and said, “You should be delivering in the next couple of days. After you eat, make sure to walk around a bit; there’s nothing to worry about. Just relax.”

Xu Ning smiled and replied, “Thank you, Doctor Huang. I appreciate your help for the rest of the way.”

With so many belongings and not wanting to venture too far, they were cautious, unsure of who else might be in the ward and wary of anything going missing.

They had been in the hospital for five days, and the ward had seen a complete turnover of patients, but Xu Ning showed no signs of going into labor.

She patted her belly and laughed, “These two little ones don’t seem ready to come out yet!”

Just as she finished speaking, a sudden wave of pain gripped her abdomen.

Noticing her expression change, Lu Xiaotang quickly asked, “Xiao Ning, what’s wrong?”

“It feels like I’m going into labor,” she replied.

Lu Xiaotang urgently said, “Xiao Ning, lie down for a moment. I’ll go get Doctor Huang. Don’t be afraid.”

While telling Xu Ning not to worry, he himself was already sweating and hurriedly rushed out of the room.

Xu Ning, seeing his anxiousness, quickly called out, “It won’t happen so fast; you don’t need to worry!”

When Doctor Huang arrived and saw the situation, he quickly told the nurse, “Hurry and take her to the delivery room.”

Outside the delivery room, Lu Xiaotang listened to Xu Ning’s hoarse cries, his heart feeling as if it were being tightly squeezed by something.

He didn’t know how long it had been when a nurse came out, announcing, “It’s a boy, weighing four pounds and four ounces.”

Lu Xiaotang immediately asked, “Nurse, how is my wife?”

“She’s fine; she’s still in labor,” the nurse replied before closing the door behind her.

When the second baby was born, Xu Ning felt a sense of relief, thinking, Finally, it’s over.

But before she could fully appreciate that moment, Doctor Huang said, “Just a bit more effort; there’s still one more to go.”

Xu Ning was taken aback and shouted, “What do you mean there’s still one more? I thought there were only two!”

As soon as she finished speaking, several nurses couldn’t help but laugh.

Doctor Huang said, “What do you mean ‘what else’? There’s still another baby! Now push!”

Xu Ning, hearing this, didn’t have time to think about anything else and continued to exert herself, shouting, “Ah! Ah…”

Lu Xiaotang outside felt his face turn pale, thinking, No more childbirth after this; I’ll never go through this again!

Doctor Huang peeked outside and gently pulled at something, and soon after, a wrinkly little baby was brought into the world.

The child was small and weak, not making any sound for a long time. After giving a gentle pat on its bottom, it finally let out a soft whimper.

Meanwhile, Xu Ning was still yelling away.

Doctor Huang, exasperated, said, “The baby is out now; what are you still shouting about?”

Only then did Xu Ning stop, completely exhausted. She looked at Doctor Huang and asked, “Doctor Huang, is it all done now?”

Doctor Huang chuckled and said, “This time, it’s really over.”

Hearing this, Xu Ning finally relaxed and closed her eyes, slipping into a deep sleep.

After a long period of silence inside, Lu Xiaotang called out, “Doctor Huang, how is my wife doing?”

A nurse came out and said, “Your wife has given birth to two sons and a daughter. She’s currently resting and will be transferred back to the ward soon. However, the smallest baby is a bit weak and will need to stay in the hospital for a few days for monitoring.”

Lu Xiaotang quickly asked, “Nurse, is my daughter okay? What about the two boys?”

The nurse smiled and replied, “The two brothers are healthy—one weighs four pounds and four ounces, and the other weighs four pounds and three ounces. Your daughter, the smallest, weighs three pounds and nine ounces. Just make sure to take good care of her moving forward.”

Once the doctor and nurses brought Xu Ning and the babies back to the ward, They saw that Lu Xiaotang was the only one waiting there.

He asked, “Is it just you here? How are you going to take care of your wife and three kids all by yourself?”

Lu Xiaotang replied, “Someone from home will be here in a couple of days.”

He planned to send a telegram as soon as Xu Ning woke up, asking Xu An to come over.

He brought some warm water to wipe Xu Ning’s body and then looked at the three little ones lying in the adjacent crib, feeling an overwhelming softness in his heart.

As Lu Xiaotang stepped out of the ward carrying a basin of water, Xu An suddenly appeared.

Seeing him, Lu Xiaotang happily asked, “Xu An, why did you come today?”

Xu An wiped the sweat from his forehead and said, “Brother-in-law, we haven’t heard from you for the past few days, and everyone at home is worried. I came to see if my sister has given birth.”

Lu Xiaotang smiled and replied, “She has! She just came out of the delivery room. Two boys and one girl. Both your sister and the babies are safe.”

“I was planning to send a telegram once your sister wakes up,” he added.

Xu An exclaimed with joy, “Really? Where are my sister and the kids?”

“They’re in the room, all asleep. You can go in first while I dump this water,” Lu Xiaotang said.